Materials in sport

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Materials in sport

Ceramics are any inorganic non-metallic material. Examples of ceramics can be from table salt to clay (complex silicate) some scientists say that ceramics must also be crystalline. This means that the molecules of the material are arranged in a regular pattern.  The materials that are inorganic non-metallic but do not have a crystalline structure are called amorphous. An everyday example of an amorphous material is glass. This ranges from glass in bottles to the high purity glass in optical fibres

Some useful properties of ceramics are: high melting points, low density, high strength, stiffness, hardness, wear resistance, and corrosion resistance. Many ceramics are good electrical and thermal insulators. Certain ceramics have special properties. Some are magnetic or super conductors. Ceramics do have one major draw back; they are very brittle

Traditional ceramics are materials such as clay, talc, and porcelain that make products like pottery, bricks and containers for food.

Engineered ceramics are materials including silicon and aluminium nitride that make products such as sensors dental restoration and artificial bone implants.

Metals

Metals can be separated into two groups, these are pure metals and metal alloys, pure metals are single elements from the periodic table. Iron and copper are examples of pure metals. Metal alloys are a combination of more than one pure metal. For example stainless steal is a combination of iron nickel and chromium

 All metals are crystalline structures and they all have tight atomic bonds. This means that each atom in the metal forms as many bonds with other atoms as it possibly can.

Properties of metals.

Metals all have various and different properties. But they all have some similar properties. In general they all have a good electrical and thermal conductivity. This is the property that allows metal to carry electricity and heat. Some metals are extremely good conductors but some metals are not as efficient

Most metals are very strong and have high stiffness. This means it is hard to bend. Also some metals are magnetic but not all of them are. Most metals and alloys have high density due to the tight structure of the atoms. This means they are useful when a high mass but small volume is needed. (17-19) For example a weight lifter wants a heavy weight but he does not want it so big that it over balances him or is to awkward to lift.

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Metals also have high fracture toughness. This means that they can survive impacts without breaking and that they are durable. This is used in cars to prevent injuries to the passengers. The metal will bend in a crash but it will be hard for it to shatter and break.

 “Hardness is the ability of metal to resist abrasion cutting or permanent distortion” (Jennifer 2003)

The hardness and strength of metals are very closely related. Heat-treating the metal can increase the hardness of metal.

Metal can be brittle instead of tough. This means that a metal will not ...

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